A Lincoln Institute report makes a stronger case against incentives than it admits
Lincoln’s researchers keep finding that these tools underdeliver, yet their recommendations stop short of saying cities should abandon them.
New York congestion pricing wraps up first year – the numbers are in
The traffic numbers moved the way supporters predicted. Vehicle entries into the zone fell 11% compared to pre-toll baselines. Average...
Nashville boomed. But for whom should cities grow?
Nashville is booming, but growth has made the city more expensive for many longtime residents. Cities should create the conditions...
When Government Reports Become the Problem
Government reporting requirements are usually created in the name of transparency and accountability. But when legislatures continually add reports and...
Initial thoughts on Kansas City’s deal with the Royals
The Lease, Development Agreement and Funding Agreement each define what happens if litigation voids the deal differently: one treats a...
Savannah’s zoning rewrite is a blueprint for other cities
Housing affordability is usually discussed as a spending problem, solved with subsidies, tax credits or public-private deals. Savannah's proposal is...
Data Centers Can Fund a City’s Future — But Only If Cities Don’t Pay for Them Twice
A facility that pays ordinary commercial property taxes, on infrastructure a company builds with its own capital, is a genuine...
Texas won the data center boom. Now comes the bill
Texas does not need to choose between subsidizing data centers and stopping them. It can require developers to provide credible...
London’s housing crisis is a warning about the power to say no
Discretionary review creates a different problem: uncertainty after the fact. A project may appear acceptable under existing plans, but developers...
Tax subsidies should have a test they can fail
Before approving a subsidy, lawmakers should identify the public purpose, establish measurable criteria, require the necessary data, provide for independent...
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